Environmentalism Is Not at Odds with Individualism

This past week at church and on Wisconsin Public Radio I have heard criticism of excessive individualism as part of the discussion of Earth Day.

I understand where this is coming from, but we should be cautious about thinking of individualism as being at odds with environmentalism. Individualism is necessary, IMHO, for a pleasant life in a densely-populated, environmentally-friendly community.

We need to be aware of how our activities affect other individuals and not expect to be able to do things that cost other people without paying damages.

In the past damage to the environment was easy to see: Emission from your activities caused direct irritation to people nearby. Global climate change is much harder to see. We're not even sure how much of it is due to human activities. (We know human activities are a significant part of it.)

Global warming will be harder to address than previous environmental issues because the very foundation of the world economy, fossil fuels, is the main cause. It's a problem whose impact could be as serious as World War II, and the solution will require completely modifying the world economy, just like WWII.

I am optimistic, though, that people are becoming aware of the problem and willing to make big changes. No one technology or behavioral change will solve the problem. Many small steps, though, will solve the problem.